


Escape

by buleemozar



Series: Criminal Minds Prompts [2]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Headaches & Migraines, Hurt Spencer Reid, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Past Drug Addiction, Pre-Relationship, Spencer Reid Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:21:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24232030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buleemozar/pseuds/buleemozar
Summary: Spencer's having a hard week. Derek is there for him.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & Spencer Reid, Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid, Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid
Series: Criminal Minds Prompts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1754479
Comments: 4
Kudos: 316





	Escape

**Author's Note:**

> This was just a dumb little one shot I wrote in the middle of the night while procrastinating studying for my finals. Sorry if there any grammatical errors as it is 5:21 am rn.

Spencer’s head would _not_ stop pounding. His headache had been slowly getting worse and worse for the past three days. The case they were working was not helping. It was dealing with a child abduction and they had been working against the clock and honestly, Spencer couldn’t remember the last time he slept. Morgan had made sure he had a steady supply of sugary coffee to keep him on his feet but there is only so much caffeine a person can handle at once before the effects stop working. They had eventually caught the guy but unfortunately, they couldn’t save the kid. His knee was aching with the phantom pain of the injury that never quite healed right, his head was spinning for the millionth time that hour, his fingers were shaking, and his hand was clutching his three year sobriety chip like his life depended on it. _It does depend on it._

Spencer pushed his eyes closed and tried to ignore the constant humming of the jet he was stuck in. He was grateful to be trapped in the sky, surrounded by his teammates far away from the one thing he was craving more than anything right now. Spencer wanted to _escape_. He continued to focus on his thumb rubbing against the rough surface of the chip he was holding while taking deep breaths.

“Are you okay, Reid?” Spencer startled abruptly as the hand made contact with his shoulder. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the concerned expression of Hotch standing above him. He must’ve looked pretty bad to be having his boss confronting him. Hotch glanced briefly down at his hand, still holding the chip, and back up at Spencer. “Anything I can do?”

“No,” Spencer cleared his throat. “No, I’m okay. Just have a bad headache. It’s been uh, a really long day.” Hotch continued to stare at him, not feeling satisfied with his weak response. “Hotch, honestly, I’ll be okay. I just need a minute.” Hotch nodded and walked back to where he was sitting. The rest of the flight went by painfully slow. Spencer sighed and stood after they landed, putting on his coat and grabbing his satchel. This was going to be a long night.

“Hey, pretty boy, let me give you a ride home. You’re in no condition to drive.” Spencer just nodded his agreement, knowing it was the logical thing to let Morgan drive as the man had actually slept. He allowed himself to be guided out of the plane and into the passenger seat of Morgan’s car. Spencer cleared his throat as the car started.

“Hey Derek, ca-can I stay at your place tonight?” The weight of his chip was still heavy in his pocket. “I don’t think I should be alone tonight.” Spencer was pointedly looking at his lap but he could feel Morgan staring at him.

“Of course kid, you don’t even have to ask. Everything okay?” Spencer shrugged and didn’t respond as Morgan started driving. They drove in silence through the city, heading towards the apartment complex where Morgan lived. Eventually they arrived. Reid took a deep breath of the night air as Morgan grabbed their go bags.

In a blur of movements, they were in safely inside the house. Spencer cringed when the lights were turned on, feeling his head starting to spin again. Morgan must have noticed his reaction cause the light went back off, replaced by a soft lamp in the corner. Spencer inhaled the vanilla smell of the apartment and dropped onto the couch, rubbing his eyes softly. Morgan sat down next to him, rubbing his back in slow circles.

“Headache?” Spencer nodded, leaning into the touch slightly. “How long has it been hurting, Spencer?”

Spencer shrugged non-committedly, “I’m not sure, about three or four days. It’ll pass, don’t worry.” Morgan started to gently massage his neck and shoulders.

“Why didn’t you say anything, pretty boy? You’ve been working no-stop for the past two days.”

Spencer shrugged. “I didn’t want anyone to worry, it happens pretty frequently. It’s just pretty bad right now.” Morgan hummed quietly.

“You’re not a burden to any of us, Reid. Come on, let’s get your coat and tie off.” Morgan pushed his jacket down his shoulders as Spencer loosened his tie, pulling it off and over his head. They stayed like that for a while, Spencer with his head in his hand while Morgan rubbed his shoulders softly, the only sound being Spencer’s shaky breathing. The hand that wasn’t rubbing his eyes, was repeatedly rubbing the coin in his fingers. The images of the little boy who died on the case still running through his head.

He flinched slightly when he felt a warm hand covering his, squeezing it just enough to stop his movements. “There’s nothing we could have done, Spencer. Don’t blame yourself for this.”

Spencer shook his head. “I could’ve figured it out quicker. I _would’ve_ figured it out quicker if it wasn’t for this damn headache.” Morgan’s hand squeezed his harder.

“You’re the smartest and strongest person I know, Spence. You did everything you could. I need you to believe that.” Spencer let out a shaky sigh, leaning into Morgan’s touch. “Let’s get you to bed, pretty boy. There’s no way I’m letting you crash on the couch when you’re in pain.” Spencer allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and guided through the dark room to Morgan’s bedroom.

He pushed his feet out of his shoes and dropped onto the bed. He could feel the bed dip next to him as Morgan sat. The gentle massaging returned to his back. “I’ll grab you a pair of sweatpants so you’re comfortable.” Morgan stood, walking towards the closet and returned quickly with a soft pair of pants in his hands. When Spencer made no effort to move, Morgan efficiently unbuttoned his shirt and handed him the pants. “I’m going to grab you water, why don’t you get changed?” Spencer nodded. As Morgan left the room Spencer stood, quickly changing into the borrowed sweat pants before settling into the bed. Morgan returned holding a glass of water and some pills. _No pain medication._

Spencer accepted the water but wouldn’t even look at the pain pills in Morgan’s hand. “I don’t do pain medication, Derek, you know that.”

Morgan sighed. “It’s only ibuprofen, nothing stronger I promise.” Spencer still shook his head, rubbing at the pain in his temples. “Alright, I tried. Can you try and get some sleep? That should help.” Spencer nodded.

Morgan turned to go back to the living room. Spencer heart began to pound at the idea of being alone. He grabbed Morgan’s arm quickly, stopping his exit. “Hey Derek, can you stay?” Morgan turned back towards the bed.

“Yeah no problem, Spencer, whatever you need.” Morgan carefully got into the bed next to Spencer. “Is this okay? I know you like your space.”

Spencer nodded, pulling himself closer to Morgan. “It’s fine, thank you for being there for me.”

Morgan relaxed into the bed and Spencer curled up next to him, and if they woke up with Spencer’s face buried in his chest, no one had to know but them.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! Leave a comment or kudos if you want <3


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